Certain articles that come into engagement with a user's body during use sometimes present an interface between the article and the user that is less than desirable. Such articles include wearing apparel that have straps, belts, or buckles that contact the body; various items that have handles such as tools, appliances, exercise equipment, and luggage; animal collars; and the like. Problems usually occur because of the pressure of sharp or uncomfortable edges or surfaces on the article, the temperature of the article, the coefficient of friction at the interface, or the like. The appearance of the interface may also be a negative factor.
An example of such a problem is when a baseball-type cap is worn backward, as is standard practice for a baseball catcher but has become very popular for many people in everyday wear. When so worn, the adjustable strap at the back of most caps engages the wearer's forehead, and the hard surfaces and edges of the strap or the buckle press tightly against the wearer's head. This interface may be uncomfortable during wear, and the straps may leave an impression or an abrasion on the forehead after the cap is removed, either as a result of wearing the cap or in putting it on or taking it off. Moreover, some adjustable straps have intermitting pegs and holes that provide a rough surface from the outside of the cap and may be regarded as unsightly.
The problems of discomfort and appearance with the adjustable straps of baseball caps have been addressed in such patents as those to U.S. Pat. Nos. to Peters et al. 5,315,714; Blosser 5,687,425; Christiansen et al. 5,287,559; and Miner 5,418,981. The Peters and Blosser devices are manufactured as tubes in a size intended fit over the straps. These straps are of different widths but even if a tube is sized to the particular width of a baseball cap strap, it cannot be tightly wrapped or wound about the strap and thus may not be remain in a desired position, especially as the cap is put on and off many times. Moreover, such tubular devices intended solely for baseball-type caps do not have the ability to wrap parts of other articles where interface problems exist and where the part is not made with separable segments allowing a tube to slip over them. The Christiansen and Miner devices fold over the hat strap but do not wrap tightly about the strap nor do they have the versatility to wrap around parts of a multitude of other articles.